UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

 

For the transition period from                       to

Commission file number 000-50070

SAFETY INSURANCE GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

20 Custom House Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110

(Address of principal executive offices including zip code)

(617) 951-0600

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.   Yes    o   No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 of Section 15(d) of the Act.   Yes    o   No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.   Yes x   No   o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.   x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  

Large accelerated filer   o   Accelerated filer   x   Non-accelerated filer   o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).   Yes o   No x

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting and non-voting common equity (based on the closing sales price on NASDAQ) held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2005, was approximately $414,203,996.

As of March 10, 2006, there were 15,863,808 Common Shares with a par value of $0.01 per share outstanding.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 19, 2006, which Safety Insurance Group, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “our,” “us”) intends to file within 120 days after its December 31, 2005 year-end, are incorporated by reference into Part III hereof.

SAFETY INSURANCE GROUP, INC.

Table of Contents

 

In this Form 10K, all dollar amounts are presented in thousands, except average premium, share and per share data.

PART I.

ITEM 1.                BUSINESS

A.  General

We are a leading provider of private passenger automobile insurance in Massachusetts. In addition to private passenger automobile insurance (which represented 80.3% of our direct written premiums in 2005), we offer a portfolio of property and casualty insurance products, including commercial automobile, homeowners, dwelling fire, umbrella and business owner policies. Operating exclusively in Massachusetts through our insurance subsidiaries, Safety Insurance Company (“Safety Insurance”) and Safety Indemnity Insurance Company (together referred to as the “Insurance Subsidiaries”), we have established strong relationships with 637 independent insurance agents in 743 locations throughout Massachusetts. We have used these relationships and our extensive knowledge of the Massachusetts market to become the second largest private passenger automobile carrier, capturing an approximate 11.3% share of the Massachusetts private passenger automobile insurance market, and the fourth largest commercial automobile carrier, with a 9.0% share of the Massachusetts commercial automobile insurance market, in 2005 according to statistics compiled by Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers (“CAR”). In addition, we were also ranked the 48th largest automobile writer in the country according to A.M. Best, based on 2004 direct written premiums. We were incorporated under the laws of Delaware in 2001, but through our predecessors, we have underwritten insurance in Massachusetts since 1979.

Our share of the Massachusetts private passenger automobile insurance market has grown from 9.8% in 2000 to 11.3% in 2005. As a result of this increased market share and the expansion of our product offerings, our direct written premiums have increased by 51.9% between 2000 and 2005, from $427,457 to $649,113. We have also maintained profitability in part by managing our cost structure through, for example, the use of technology.

Website Access to Information

The Internet address for our website is www.SafetyInsurance.com. All of our press releases and SEC reports are available for viewing or download at our website. These documents are made available on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after each press release and SEC report is filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Copies of any current public information about our company are available without charge upon written, telephone, faxed or e-mailed request to the Office of Investor Relations, Safety Insurance Group, Inc., 20 Custom House Street, Boston, MA 02110, Tel: 877-951-2522, Fax: 617-603-4837, or e-mail: InvestorRelations@SafetyInsurance.com. The materials on our website are not part of this report on Form 10-K or incorporated by reference into this report and the URL above is intended to be an inactive textual reference only.

Our Competitive Strengths

We Have Strong Relationships with Independent Agents.   In 2004, independent agents accounted for approximately 80.5% of the Massachusetts automobile insurance market measured by direct written premiums as compared to only about 42.0% nationwide, according to A.M. Best. For that reason, our strategy is centered around, and we sell exclusively through, a network of 637 independent agents (of which 203 are Exclusive Representative Producers (“ERPs”)) in 743 locations throughout Massachusetts. In order to support our independent agents and enhance our relationships with them, we:

·       Provide our agents with a portfolio of property and casualty insurance products at competitive prices to help our agents address effectively the insurance needs of their clients;

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·       Provide our agents with a variety of technological resources which enable us to deliver superior service and support to them; and

·       Offer our agents competitive commission schedules and profit sharing programs.

Through these measures, we strive to become the preferred provider of the independent agents in our agency network and capture a growing share of the total insurance business written by these agents in Massachusetts. We must compete with other insurance carriers for the business of independent agents.

We Have an Uninterrupted Record of Profitable Operations.   In every year since our inception in 1979, we have been profitable and increased our direct written premiums from the prior year. We have achieved profitable growth by, among other things:

·       Increasing by 19.7% the number of private passenger automobile exposures we underwrite from 392,889 in 2000 to 470,221 in 2005 and the average premium we receive per automobile exposure from $915 to $1,093;

·       Maintaining a statutory combined ratio (refer to page 41 for a definition of statutory combined ratio) that is consistently below industry averages;

·       Taking advantage of the institutional knowledge our management has amassed during our long operating history in the unique Massachusetts market;

·       Introducing new lines of insurance products, such as homeowners, which unlike private passenger automobile do not have state-established maximum premium rates;

·       Investing in technology to simplify internal processes and enhance our relationships with our agents; and

·       Maintaining a high-quality investment portfolio.

We Are a Technological Leader.   We have dedicated significant human and financial resources to the development of advanced information systems. Our technology efforts have benefited us in two distinct ways. First, we continue to develop technology that empowers our independent agent customers to make it easier for them to transact business with their clients and with the Insurance Subsidiaries. In our largest business line, private passenger automobile insurance, our agents now submit approximately 98% of all applications for new policies or endorsements for existing policies to us electronically through our proprietary information portal, the Agents Virtual Community (“AVC”). Second, our investment in technology has allowed us to re-engineer internal back office processes to provide more efficient service at lower cost. Our adjusted statutory expense ratios have been below the average industry statutory expense ratio in each of the past five years. Our systems have also improved our overall productivity, as evidenced by our direct written premiums per employee increasing to $1,153 in 2005 from $835 in 2000.

We Have an Experienced, Committed and Knowledgeable Management Team.   Our senior management team owns approximately 10% of the common stock of Safety Insurance Group, Inc. on a fully diluted basis. Our senior management team, led by our President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, David F. Brussard, has an average of over 26 years of industry experience per executive, as well as an average of over 24 years of experience with Safety Insurance. The team has demonstrated an ability to operate successfully within the regulated Massachusetts private passenger automobile insurance market.

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Our Strategy

To achieve our goal of increasing shareholder value, our strategy is to maintain and develop strong independent agent relationships by providing our agents with a full package of insurance products and information technology services. We believe this strategy will allow us to:

·       Further penetrate the Massachusetts private passenger automobile insurance market;

·       Continue to selectively cross-sell homeowners, dwelling fire, personal umbrella and business owner policies in order to capture a larger share of the total Massachusetts property and casualty insurance business written by each of our independent agents; and

·       Continue to expand our technology to enable independent agents to more easily serve their customers and conduct business with us, thereby strengthening their relationships with us.

B.  The Massachusetts Property and Casualty Insurance Market

Introduction.   We are licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Commissioner of Insurance (“the Commissioner”) to transact property and casualty insurance in Massachusetts. All of our business is extensively regulated by the Commissioner.

The Massachusetts Market for Private Passenger Automobile Insurance.   Private passenger automobile insurance is heavily regulated in Massachusetts. In many respects, the private passenger automobile insurance market in Massachusetts is unique, in comparison to other states. This is due to a number of factors, including unusual regulatory conditions, the market dominance of domestic companies, the relative absence of large national companies, and the heavy reliance on independent insurance agents as the market’s principal distribution channel. For many insurance companies, these factors present substantial challenges, but we believe they provide us a competitive advantage, because, as our financial history shows, we have a thorough understanding of this market.

The principal factors that generally distinguish the Massachusetts private passenger automobile insurance market from that market in other states are as follows:

·       Compulsory Insurance. Massachusetts motorists must obtain automobile insurance prior to registering a vehicle with the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Insurers are required to notify the Registry of Motor Vehicles when coverage is cancelled and the Registry of Motor Vehicles is authorized to seize the license plates of uninsured motor vehicles.

·       “Take All Comers.”  With very few exceptions, CAR, which is the residual market program for automobile insurance in Massachusetts, may not refuse to cover an applicant. Servicing carriers of CAR, such as us, may not refuse to issue a policy to an applicant based on the applicant’s driving record or other underwriting criteria commonly used by insurers in other states to decide whether to insure a motorist.

·       Standard Policy Form. The policy form that is used by all automobile insurers is developed by the Commissioner and must be used by all companies. The policy consists of several mandatory coverages: no fault coverage (i.e., “personal injury protection”); minimum limits of bodily injury and property damage liability coverage; and coverage for accidents caused by uninsured or hit-and-run motorists. In addition to these standard mandatory coverages, several additional optional coverages (such as higher bodily injury and property damage liability coverages, and collision and comprehensive coverages) must be offered. No carrier may offer any other type of coverage or deductible or use any form of policy endorsement without the prior approval of the Commissioner, which can be granted only after a formal hearing.

·       Premium Rates are “fixed and established” by the Commissioner. In Massachusetts, automobile insurance companies are obligated to use premium rates that are determined on an annual basis by

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the Commissioner. Beginning in 2007, the Commissioner’s annual rate decision will become effective on April 1 of each year. As a matter of law, the Commissioner’s rate must be adequate, which the Massachusetts courts have ruled requires that the rate be sufficient to allow insurers the opportunity to earn a reasonable rate of return. The rate setting process involves a lengthy and complex administrative proceeding in which the Commissioner considers historic information related to claim costs as well as outside factors affecting insurance costs. Different data is presented for the Commissioner’s consideration by the Automobile Insurers Bureau (on behalf of the insurance industry), the State Rating Bureau, and the Massachusetts Attorney General. At the close of this proceeding, the Commissioner sets a premium rate for each of several classes of drivers, many different types of vehicles, and twenty-seven different geographic territories within Massachusetts. The Commissioner usually sets the rate during the last quarter of the year. The Commissioner mandated an average rate decrease in private passenger automobile premiums of 1.7% for 2005. The Commissioner mandated  average rate increases of  2.5% and 2.7% for  2004 and 2003, respectively, and no rate change for 2002. The Commissioner announced on December 15, 2005, an 8.7% statewide average rate decrease for 2006 which will be in effect until April 1, 2007. In addition, the Commissioner annually establishes the minimum commission rate that insurers must pay their auto insurance agents. The Commissioner approved a commission rate, as a percentage of premiums of 10.9%, 10.5%, and 11.0% in 2005, 2004, and 2003, respectively. The Commissioner approved a commission rate of 11.8% for 2006 which will be in effect until April 1, 2007.

·       Safe Driver Insurance Plan. In other states, insurance companies are free to design their own systems for rewarding drivers with superior driving records by providing lower prices to such drivers and charging higher prices for drivers who have caused claims or who have poor driving records. In Massachusetts, all companies must use the system the Commissioner has developed. Known as the Safe Driver Insurance Plan, the system was revised effective January 1, 2006 and is based on points assessed for at-fault accidents and conviction of certain traffic violations. The Plan consists of a series of points ranging from 0 points to 45 points, with each point above 0 points imposing surcharges on motorists. The revised Plan offers credits to motorists with two excellent driver awards, an Excellent Driver Discount Plus  (Credit code 99) for a driver with no accidents or violations in the preceding 6 years, and an Excellent Driver Discount (Credit code 98) for a driver with no accidents or violations in the preceding 5 years. Each driver is assigned points by the state. The Safe Driver Insurance Plan system is revenue neutral, which means that the aggregate cost of the discounts must be funded by the aggregate income of the surcharges.

·       Price competition is limited. An insurer may charge less than the Commissioner’s fixed and established premium rates by offering discounts to all members of a particular class of motorists, but only if the discount is approved by the Commissioner after a public hearing. During the years 1996 to 2001, most insurance companies offered rate discounts for drivers with the best driving records. We offered competitively priced discounts during the 1996 to 2001 time period, but like most of our competitors, we have discontinued using these discounts since 2001. Only two companies offered such discounts in 2005, further reduced to one company in 2006.

·       Affinity Group Marketing. In addition to the use of class discounts, insurers can charge lower rates than the Commissioner’s fixed rate by providing discounts to all members of an affinity group. An affinity group consists of all of the employees of a particular employer or the members of a trade union, association or other organization. These discounts must be filed with the Commissioner and are subject to the Commissioner’s approval. We currently offer discounts to 184 groups representing approximately 9.3% of the private passenger automobile policies we issue, with discounts ranging from 3% to 5%.

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·       Exclusive Representative Producers. As noted above, the Commissioner sets a different rate for each of twenty-seven territories in Massachusetts. The methodology the Commissioner uses to adjust the rates among each territory results in the reduction of rates in high cost urban communities from the actuarially appropriate rate while increasing rates in suburban and rural parts of Massachusetts. As a result, in the aggregate, rates in urban communities are considered inadequate by most insurers. In order to ensure that motorists living in such communities have access to automobile insurance, licensed insurance producers located in such areas who have not been appointed as a voluntary agent of a company may apply to CAR, to be appointed as an involuntary agent, or ERP, of an insurer selected by CAR. Under CAR’s current rules, ERPs are assigned to all insurers writing private passenger automobile insurance in Massachusetts. ERP assignments are intended to be based upon an insurer’s market share. The Commissioner approved a redistribution plan for ERPs, on January 27, 2006. On March 1, 2006, CAR reassigned 18 Safety ERPs with 25,590 exposures to other servicing carriers. In addition, CAR assigned 29 ERPs with 24,672 exposures from other servicing carriers to Safety Insurance, however 25 of these ERPs with 22,838 exposures were given voluntary contracts by their former servicing carrier or other carriers and are no longer eligible for assignment to Safety Insurance as ERPs. See Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Executive Summary and Overview.

·       Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers. In order to protect insurers from the assignment of ERPs and certain other insurance regulatory conditions, the Massachusetts Legislature created CAR, which runs a reinsurance pool. CAR is governed by a committee that is appointed by the Commissioner, but its rules and decisions are subject to the review and approval of the Commissioner. Under CAR’s current rules, companies may cede to the reinsurance pool policies that they determine are not likely to be profitable. As a result, CAR operates at an underwriting deficit. This deficit is allocated among every automobile insurance company based on a complex formula that takes into consideration a company’s voluntary market share, the amount of business it cedes to CAR and credits the company earns under a system CAR has designed to encourage carriers to voluntarily write business in selected under-priced classes and territories. We have developed underwriting and actuarial analysis systems to evaluate the profitability of ceding a risk to CAR or writing it voluntarily.

·       Proposed Reform of CAR. On December 31, 2004, the Commissioner approved new rules for CAR, which became effective on January 1, 2005 (the “Approved Rules”). Pursuant to the Approved Rules, CAR’s current system of assigning ERPs to each insurer and providing reinsurance to insurers is to be replaced by the Massachusetts Assigned Insurance Plan (the “MAIP”). The MAIP is a type of assigned risk plan similar to that used to manage the automobile insurance residual market in most other states. On January 14, 2005, we filed, on Form 8-K, an estimate of the financial impact the Approved Rules may have on us and we stated that a lawsuit had been filed in Suffolk Superior Court by Commerce Insurance Company against the Commissioner that seeks an order permanently enjoining implementation and/or enforcement of the Approved Rules. On June 20, 2005, the Massachusetts Superior Court ruled that the Commissioner lacked the statutory authority to implement the Approved Rules and ordered them vacated. As a result, the Approved Rules did not go into effect. The Commissioner appealed the decision of the Massachusetts Superior Court. On October 26, 2005, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court agreed to take on direct appellate review of the Commissioner’s appeal. At the present time, we are unable to predict whether the Commissioner’s appeal will be successful. The Approved Rules and other recent related developments are discussed further in Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Executive Summary and Overview.

·       Dominance of Domestic Companies. Many large national private passenger automobile insurance writers, such as State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, Berkshire Hathaway (GEICO), and Farmers,

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write very little or no private passenger automobile insurance business in Massachusetts. We actively participate in major industry policy-making organizations in Massachusetts, such as the Automobile Insurers Bureau and CAR, where our employees serve on a number of committees.

·       Prominence of Independent Insurance Agents. Finally, and perhaps most importantly to our Company’s success, approximately 80.5% of the direct written premiums in the Massachusetts automobile insurance market was placed by independent agents in 2004, according to A.M. Best. Nationally, independent agents wrote only about 42.0% of the automobile insurance market in 2004, according to A.M. Best. Accordingly, to be successful, a company must have a strategy designed to encourage the best agents to place their best business with that company. We have designed a system of agent commissions, profit sharing, bonuses and other strategies, such as our information technology capabilities, that we believe favorably distinguishes our company from our competitors. We aggressively market our company to independent agents in attempting to get the best agents and the best business.

C.               Products

Historically, we have focused on underwriting private passenger automobile insurance. Since 1997, we have expanded the breadth of our product line in order for agents to address a greater portion of their clients’ insurance needs by selling multiple products. The table below shows our premiums in each of these product lines for the periods indicated and the portions of our total premiums each product line represented.

 

Our product lines are as follows:

Private Passenger Automobile (80.3% of 2005 direct written premiums).   Private passenger automobile insurance is our primary product, and we support all Massachusetts policy forms and limits of coverage. Private passenger automobile policies provide coverage for bodily injury and property damage to others, no-fault personal injury coverage for the insured/insured’s car occupants, and physical damage coverage for an insured’s own vehicle for collision or other perils. We have priced our private passenger coverage competitively by offering group discounts since 1995 and Safe Driver Insurance Plan rate deviations from 1996 to 2001. Since 2001, we have not filed for any Safe Driver Insurance Plan deviation. We currently offer approximately 184 affinity group discount programs ranging from 3% to 5% discounts.

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Commercial Automobile (10.8% of 2005 direct written premiums).   Our commercial automobile program supports all Massachusetts policy forms and limits of coverage including endorsements that broaden coverage over and above that offered on the standard Massachusetts policy forms. Commercial automobile policies provide coverage for bodily injury and property damage to others, no-fault personal injury coverage, and physical damage coverage for an insured’s own vehicle for collision or other perils resulting from the ownership or use of commercial vehicles in a business. We offer insurance for commercial vehicles used for business purposes such as private passenger-type vehicles, trucks, tractors and trailers, and insure individual vehicles as well as commercial fleets. Commercial automobile policies are written at a standard rate with qualifying risks eligible for preferred lower rates. We received approval for a rate increase of 2.1% effective December 16, 2004, and did not file for a rate change during 2005.

Homeowners (7.2% of 2005 direct written premiums).   We offer a broad selection of coverage forms for qualified policyholders. Homeowners policies provide coverage for losses to a dwelling and its contents from numerous perils, and coverage for liability to others arising from ownership or occupancy. We write policies on homes, condominiums, and apartments. We offer loss-free credits of up to 16% for eight years of loss free experience, along with a discount of 15% when a home is written together with an automobile. All forms of homeowners coverage are written at a standard rate with qualifying risks eligible for preferred lower rates. We received approval for a rate increase of 3.5% effective June 15, 2005.

Business Owners Policies (1.1% of 2005 direct written premiums).   We serve eligible small and medium sized commercial accounts with a program that covers apartments and residential condominiums; mercantile establishments, including limited cooking restaurants; offices, including office condominiums; processing and services businesses; special trade contractors; and wholesaling businesses. Business owner policies provide liability and property coverage for many perils, including business interruption from a covered loss. Equipment breakdown coverage is automatically included, and a wide range of additional coverage is available to qualified customers. We write policies for business owners at standard rates with qualifying risks eligible for preferred lower rates.

Commercial Package Policies (Included in our Business Owners Policies direct written premiums).   For larger commercial accounts, or those clients that require more specialized or tailored coverages, we offer a commercial package policy program that covers a more extensive range of business enterprises. Commercial package policies provide any combination of property, general liability, crime and inland marine insurance. Property automatically includes equipment breakdown coverage, and a wide range of additional coverage is available to qualified customers. We write commercial package policies at standard rates with qualifying risks eligible for preferred lower rates.

Personal Umbrella (Less than 1.0% of 2005 direct written premiums).   We offer personal excess liability coverage over and above the limits of individual automobile, watercraft, and homeowner’s insurance policies to clients. We offer a discount of 10% when an umbrella policy is written together with an automobile insurance policy. We write policies at standard rates with limits of $1.0 million to $5.0 million.

Dwelling Fire (Less than 1.0% of 2005 direct written premiums).   We underwrite dwelling fire insurance, which is a limited form of a homeowner’s policy for non-owner occupied residences. We offer superior construction and protective device credits, with a discount of 5% when a dwelling fire policy is issued along with an automobile policy. We write all forms of dwelling fire coverage at standard rates with qualifying risks eligible for preferred lower rates.

Commercial Umbrella (Less than 1.0% of 2005 direct written premiums).   We offer an excess liability product to clients for whom we underwrite both commercial automobile and business owner policies. The program is directed at commercial automobile risks with private passenger-type automobiles or light and medium trucks. We write commercial umbrella policies at standard rates with limits ranging from $1.0 million to $5.0 million.

Inland Marine (Included in our Homeowners direct written premiums).   We offer inland marine coverage as an endorsement for all homeowners and business owner policies, and as part of our

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commercial package policy. Inland marine provides additional coverage for jewelry, fine arts and other items that a homeowners or business owner policy would limit or not cover. Scheduled items valued at more than $5 must meet our underwriting guidelines and be appraised.

Watercraft (Included in our Homeowners direct written premiums).   We offer watercraft coverage for small and medium sized pleasure craft with maximum lengths of 32 feet, values less than $75 and maximum speeds of 39 knots. We write this coverage as an endorsement to our homeowner’s policies.

In the wake of the September 11, 2001 tragedies, the insurance industry is also impacted by terrorism, and we have filed and received approval for a number of terrorism endorsements from the Commissioner, which limit our liability and property exposure according to the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002, and the Terrorism Risk Insurance Extension Act of 2005. See “J. Reinsurance,” discussed below.

D.              Distribution

We distribute our products exclusively through independent agents, unlike some of our competitors, which use multiple distribution channels. We believe this gives us a competitive advantage with the agents. We have two types of independent agents: those with which we have voluntarily entered into an agreement, which we refer to as voluntary agents, and those that CAR has assigned to us as ERPs. With the exception of our ERPs, we do not accept business from insurance brokers. Our voluntary agents have authority pursuant to our voluntary agency agreement to bind our Insurance Subsidiaries for any coverage that is within the scope of their authority. We reserve the ability under Massachusetts law to cancel any coverage, other than private passenger automobile insurance, within the first 30 days after it is bound. In total, our 637 independent agents have 743 offices (some agencies have more than one office) and approximately 3,000 customer service representatives.

Voluntary Agents.   In 2005, we obtained approximately 73.6% of our direct written premiums for automobile insurance and 100% of our direct written premiums for all of our other lines of business through our voluntary agents. As of February 28, 2006, we had agreements with 434 voluntary agents. Our voluntary agents are located in all regions of Massachusetts.

We look for agents with profitable portfolios of business. To become a voluntary agent for our Company, we generally require that an agency: (i) have been in business for at least five years; (ii) have exhibited a three year average ratio of losses, excluding loss adjustment expenses, to net earned premiums (“pure loss ratio”) of 64.0% or less on the portion of the agent’s portfolio that we would underwrite; (iii) currently write policies for a minimum of two automobile carriers; (iv) make a commitment for us to underwrite at least 500 policies from the agency during the first twelve months after entering an agreement with us; and (v) offer multiple product lines. Every year, we review the performance of our agents during the prior year. If an agent fails to meet our profitability standards, we try to work with the agent to improve the profitability of the business it places with us. We generally terminate contracts each year with a few agencies, which, despite our efforts, have been consistently unable to meet our standards. Although independent agents usually represent several unrelated insurers, our goal is to be one of the top two insurance companies represented in each of our agencies, as measured by premiums. No individual agency generated more than 3.0% of our direct written premiums in 2005.

Exclusive Representative Producers.   In 2005, our ERPs generated approximately 26.4% of our direct written premiums for automobile insurance. As of December 31, 2005, we had 86 private passenger automobile ERPs. CAR defines ERPs as licensed dwelling fire or casualty insurance agents or brokers who have a place of business in Massachusetts, but have no existing voluntary independent agency relationship with an automobile insurer conducting business in Massachusetts. An ERP’s policy portfolio typically includes a significant percentage of what are considered to be under-priced automobile policies.

Massachusetts law guarantees that CAR provide motor vehicle insurance coverage to all qualified applicants. To facilitate this system, under CAR’s current rules, any qualified licensed insurance producer that is unable to obtain a voluntary automobile relationship with an insurer becomes an ERP and is

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assigned to an insurer, which is then required to write that agent’s policies. The number of mandated ERP policies assigned to a Massachusetts insurance carrier is intended to be proportionate to its voluntary market share. However, because no insurer can control the relative volumes of voluntary and ERP business with certainty, carriers are usually either relatively oversubscribed or undersubscribed with ERP policies. Periodically, CAR assigns or re-assigns an ERP to the most undersubscribed insurer. According to the February 25, 2006 CAR Private Passenger Subscription Report, as of December 31, 2005, our ERP policies totaled 125,612, or approximately 99.3% of our market share percentage of ERP policies, making us the second most undersubscribed carrier as of that date.

E.               Marketing

We view the independent agent as our customer and business partner. As a result, our marketing efforts focus on developing interdependent relationships with leading Massachusetts agents that write profitable business and positioning ourselves as the preferred insurance carrier of those agents, thereby receiving a larger portion of each agent’s aggregate business. We do not market ourselves to potential policyholders.

Our principal marketing strategies are:

·       To offer a range of products, which we believe enables our agents to meet the insurance needs of their clients, and overcomes agents’ resistance to placing their clients’ automobile insurance and other coverages with different insurers;

·       To price our products competitively, including offering discounts when and where appropriate for safer drivers and for affinity groups, and also offering account discounts for policyholders that have both an automobile and homeowners policy with us;

·       To offer agents competitive commissions, with incentives for placing their more profitable business with us; and

·       To provide a level of support and service that enhances the agent’s ability to do business with its clients and with us.

Commission Schedule and Profit Sharing Plan.   We have several programs designed to attract profitable new private passenger automobile business from agents by paying them more than the minimum commission the law requires (which is 10.9% of premiums for 2005, and 11.8% in 2006). We recognize our top performing agents by making them members of our President’s Club or Executive Club. In 2006, President’s Club members receive a commission equal to 17.0% of premiums for each new policy with a safe driver credit code of 99 and 98 (drivers with no accidents or violations in the prior six and five years respectively), while Executive Club members receive a commission equal to 14.0% of premiums for such policies. In 2005, 68.1% of our drivers were in Safe Driver Insurance Plan steps 9 or 10 (similar to credit code 99 and 98), as compared to 68.6% for the Massachusetts private passenger automobile industry as a whole, based on the number of drivers per month in each step according to CAR.

Further, we have a competitive agency incentive commission program under which we pay agents up to 7.5% of premiums based on the loss ratio on their business.

We have received no inquiries from the Commissioner, the Massachusetts Attorney General, or any other government agency relative to how we conduct our contingent commissions and profit sharing programs.

Service and Support.   We believe that the level and quality of service and support we provide helps differentiate us from other insurers. We have made a significant investment in information technology designed to facilitate our agents’ business. Our AVC website helps agents manage their work efficiently. We provide a substantial amount of information online that agents need to serve their customers, such as information about the status of new policies, bill payments and claims. Providing this type of content reduces the number of customer calls we receive and empowers the agent’s customer service

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representatives by enabling them to respond to customers’ inquiries while the customer is on the telephone. Finally, we believe that the knowledge and experience of our employees enhance the quality of support we provide.

F.                Underwriting

Our underwriting department is responsible for a number of key decisions affecting the profitability of our business, including:

·       Pricing of discounts offered on our private passenger automobile product;

·       Pricing of our commercial automobile, homeowners, dwelling fire, personal umbrella, business owners policies, commercial umbrella and commercial package products;

·       Determining which policies to cede to CAR’s reinsurance pool and which to retain; and

·       Evaluating whether to accept transfers of a portion of an existing or potential new agent’s portfolio from another insurer.

We are organized into three underwriting units, a separate unit for Massachusetts private passenger automobile, a separate unit for all other personal lines underwriting including homeowners, dwelling fire, personal umbrella and inland marine coverages, and a separate unit for commercial lines, including commercial auto, business owners policies, commercial umbrella and commercial package policies.

Pricing.   Our pricing strategy for private passenger automobile insurance primarily depends on the maximum permitted premium rates and minimum permitted commission levels mandated by the Commissioner. For several years prior to 2002, we offered discounts off the state-mandated rates to drivers in the lower Safe Driver Insurance Plan steps, as did a number of other insurers. However, starting in 1998, we began to reduce the discounts we offered, in light of the reductions or minimal increases in average rates the Commissioner has mandated in each year since 1998. We currently do not offer any Safe Driver Insurance Plan credit code-based discounts. Primarily as a result of reducing discounts and the purchasing of new cars by our insureds (for which we are permitted to charge higher premiums), our average premium received per policy increased 6.9% in 2003, 6.1% in 2004 and 0.1% in 2005.

In addition to Safe Driver Insurance Plan discounts, we also offer group discounts to members of 184 affinity groups, including the Boston College Alumni Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Massachusetts Medical Society. In general, we target affinity groups with a mature and stable membership base along with favorable driving records, offering between a 3% and 5% discount (with 4% being the average discount offered). Approximately 9.3% of the private passenger policies we issue receive an affinity group discount.

CAR and the Commissioner set the premium rates for commercial automobile policies reinsured through CAR. Subject to Commissioner review, we set rates for commercial automobile policies that are not reinsured through CAR, and for all other insurance lines we offer, including homeowners, dwelling fire, personal umbrella, commercial umbrella, commercial package policies and business owner policies. We base our rates on industry loss cost data, our own loss experience, catastrophe modeling and prices charged by our competitors in the Massachusetts market. We received approval for a rate increase of 2.1% for our commercial automobile line effective December 16, 2004, and also received approval for a rate increase of 3.5% for our homeowners line effective June 15, 2005.

Cede/Retain Decisions.   Under CAR’s current rules, we must decide, within 23 days after the effective date of a new policy or before renewing an existing policy, whether to cede it to CAR’s reinsurance pool. Each Massachusetts automobile insurer must bear a portion of the losses of the reinsurance pool. Under CAR’s current rules, we are able to reduce our total allocated share of the losses of the reinsurance pool by ceding less business to the pool than our proportionate share. As a result, in determining whether to cede an under priced policy to CAR’s private passenger automobile reinsurance pool, we attempt to

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evaluate whether we are likely to incur greater total losses by ceding it to the pool or by retaining it. According to the February 27, 2006 CAR Cession Volume Analysis—Private Passenger Report, as of December 31, 2005, we have ceded 6.9% of our private passenger automobile business to the pool in 2005, compared to an average of 6.2% for the industry. Our goal is to cede only those policies that incur less total losses resulting from a cession to CAR, than the total losses incurred by retaining the policy.

CAR also runs a reinsurance pool for commercial automobile policies. We analyze whether to cede or retain our business in that line in a similar fashion. According to the January 31, 2006 CAR Cession Volume Analysis-All Other Than Private Passenger Report, as of December 31, 2005, we have ceded 17.3% of our commercial automobile business to the pool in 2005, compared to an average of 26.2% for the industry.

Bulk Policy Transfers and New Voluntary Agents.   From time to time, we receive proposals from existing voluntary agents to transfer a portfolio of the agent’s business from another insurer to us. Our underwriters model the profitability of these portfolios before we accept these transfers. Among other things, we usually require that the portfolio have a pure loss ratio of 64.0% or less on the portion of the agent’s portfolio that we would underwrite. In addition, we require any new voluntary agent to commit to transfer a portfolio to us consisting of at least 500 policies.

Policy Processing and Rate Pursuit.   Our underwriting department assists in processing policy applications, endorsements, renewals and cancellations. In the past three years, we have introduced new proprietary software that enables agents to connect to our network and enter policy and endorsement applications for private passenger automobile insurance from their office computers. In our private passenger automobile insurance line, our agents now submit approximately 98% of all applications for new policies or endorsements for existing policies through our proprietary information portal, the AVC.

Our rate pursuit team aggressively monitors all insurance transactions to make sure we receive the correct premium for the risk insured. We accomplish this by verifying Massachusetts pricing criteria, such as proper classification of drivers, the make, model and age of insured vehicles and the availability of discounts. We verify that operators are properly listed and classified, assignment of operators to vehicles, vehicle garaging, vehicle pre-inspection requirements and in some cases the validity of discounts. In our homeowners and dwelling fire lines, our team has completed a project to update the replacement costs for each dwelling. We use third-party software to assist in these appraisal efforts.

G.              Technology

The focuses of our information technology effort are:

·       to constantly reengineer internal processes to allow more efficient operations, resulting in lower operating costs;

·       to make it easier for independent agents to transact business with us; and

·       to enable agents to efficiently provide their clients with a high level of service.

We believe that our technology initiatives have increased revenue and decreased cost. For example, these initiatives have allowed us to reduce the number of call-center transactions which we perform, and to transfer many manual processing functions from our internal operations to our independent agents. We also believe that these initiatives have contributed to our overall increases in productivity. In 1990, we had 399 employees and $154,997 in direct written premiums. As of December 31, 2005, we had 563 employees and $649,113 in direct written premiums, which represents an increase from $388 direct written premiums per employee in 1990 to $1,153 direct written premiums per employee in 2005.

Internal Applications (Intranet).   Our employees access our proprietary applications through our corporate intranet. Our intranet applications streamline internal processes and improve overall operational efficiencies in areas including:

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Claims.   Our claims workload management application allows our claims and subrogation adjusters to better manage injury claims. Subrogation refers to the process by which we are reimbursed by other insurers for claims costs we incur due to the fault of their insureds. The use of this application has reduced the time it takes for us to respond to and settle casualty claims, which we believe helps reduce the total amount of our claims expense.

The automated adjuster assignment system categorizes our new claims by severity and assigns them to the appropriate adjuster responsible for investigation. Once assigned, the integrated workload management tools facilitate the work of promptly assigning appraisers, investigating liability, issuing checks and receiving subrogation receipts.

Billing.   Proprietary billing systems, integrated with the systems of our print and lock-box vendors, expedite the processing and collection of premium receipts and finance charges from agents and policyholders. We believe the sophistication of our direct bill system helps us to limit our bad debt expense. In both 2005 and 2004 our bad debt expense as a percentage of direct written premiums was less than 0.2%.

External Applications.   Agency employees can securely access business critical applications through our corporate extranet, which we call AVC. AVC includes Web-enabled applications, advanced security and an Internet-enabled communications network, which we believe constitutes many of our agents’ only high-speed Internet connection. We believe that AVC is unique to the Massachusetts private passenger automobile insurance industry because using AVC allows an agent to access a variety of vendors and other carriers over the Internet through a single portal. We currently have a patent application pending on AVC. The patent application pertains to the method and system by which AVC delivers customer services to independent insurance agents. The capability for agency personnel to schedule online appointments with third-party vendors (such as glass repair retailers and rental car agencies) for their clients is also available. We designed AVC to be scalable so that these types of vendors and potentially, other insurers, can link to the network and create a “once and done” environment for the independent agent.

Listed below are examples of the business critical applications agents may access through AVC.

New Business and Endorsement Processing.   Agents can perform new business and endorsement processing with our point of sale application. Agents can upload policy data to our system directly from their agency system or rate quote software in AVC’s secure Web environment without having to re-enter policy information.

Inquiry Access.   Inquiry Access is a customer service application designed to provide agency customer service representatives with real-time access to our database of insured information. This application allows agents to view the status of claims, billing and policy detail.

Policyholder Inquiry.   Policyholder Inquiry provides 24 hours a day, 7 days a week self-service account information to our policyholders through our website or through their independent agents’ websites. This application provides policyholders with round-the-clock access to billing and claims information.

Other Tools and Services   AVC gives agents access to electronic versions of underwriting manuals, which include updated guidelines for acceptable risks, commission levels and product pricing. Further, we have our agents using third party software (the XNET Cost Estimator from Marshall Swift/Boeck) that we make available through AVC to help assess home replacement costs. This initiative helps ensure that we receive the correct premium with respect to homeowners policies and provide the correct level of coverage against home loss. Finally, we provide agents a daily report of all their insurance transactions processed through AVC. This report allows our agents to monitor their performance and review profitability goals.

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H.              Claims

Because of the unique differences between the management of casualty claims and property claims, we use separate departments for each of these types of claims.

Casualty Claims

We have a proven record of settling casualty claims below the industry average in Massachusetts. According to the Automobile Insurers Bureau, our average casualty claim settlement during the period from January 1994 through September 30, 2005 was $5,457, approximately 4.4% lower than the Massachusetts industry average of $5,707.

We have adopted stringent claims settlement procedures, which include guidelines that establish maximum settlement offers for soft tissue injuries, which constituted approximately 75% of our bodily injury claims. If we are unable to settle these claims within our guidelines, we generally take the claim to litigation. We believe that these procedures result in providing our adjusters with a uniform approach to negotiation.

We believe an important component of handling claims efficiently is prompt investigation and settlement. We find that faster claims settlements often result in less expensive claims settlements. Our E-Claim reporting system is an online product that reduces the time it takes for agents to notify our adjusters about claims, thereby enabling us to contact third-party claimants and other witnesses quickly. After business hours we outsource claims adjustment support to an independent firm whose employees contact third-party claimants and other witnesses. We believe that early notification results in our adjusters conducting prompt investigations of claims and compiling more accurate information about those claims. Our claims workload management software also assists our adjusters in handling claims quickly.

We believe the structure of our casualty claims unit allows us to respond quickly to claimants anywhere in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Comprising 124 people, the department is organized into distinct claim units that contain loss costs for soft tissue injuries. Field adjusters are located geographically for prompt response to claims, with our litigation unit focused on managing loss costs and litigation expenses for serious injury claims.

Additionally, we utilize a special unit to investigate fraud in connection with casualty claims. This special unit has one manager and eight employees. In cases where adjusters suspect fraud in connection with a claim, we deploy this special unit to conduct investigations. We deny payment to claimants in cases in which we have succeeded in accumulating sufficient evidence of fraud.

Property Claims

Our property claims unit handles property claims arising in our private passenger and commercial automobile, homeowners and other insurance lines. Process automation has streamlined our property claims function. Many of our property claims are now handled by the agents through AVC using our Power Desk software application. As agents receive calls from claimants, Power Desk permits the agent to immediately send information related to the claim directly to us and to an independent appraiser selected by the agent to value the claim. Once we receive this information, an automated system redirects the claim to the appropriate internal adjuster responsible for investigating the claim to determine liability. Upon determination of liability, the system automatically begins the process of seeking a subrogation recovery from another insurer, if liable. We believe this process results in a shorter time period from when the claimant first contacts the agent to when the claimant receives a claim payment, while enabling our agents to build credibility with their clients by responding to claims in a timely and efficient manner. We benefit from decreased labor expenses from the need for fewer employees to handle the reduced property claims call volume.

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Another important factor in keeping our overall property claims costs low is collecting subrogation recoveries. Subrogation refers to the process by which we are reimbursed by other insurers for claims costs we incur due to the fault of their insureds. We track the amounts we pay out in claims costs and identify cases in which we believe we can reclaim some or all of those costs through the use of our automated workload management tools.

I.                   Reserves

Significant periods of time can elapse between the occurrence of an insured loss, the reporting of the loss to the insurer and the insurer’s payment of that loss. To recognize liabilities for unpaid losses, insurers establish reserves as balance sheet liabilities representing estimates of amounts needed to pay reported and unreported losses and the expenses associated with investigating and paying the losses, or loss adjustment expenses. Every quarter, we review our reserves internally. Regulations promulgated by the Commissioner require us to annually obtain a certification from either a qualified actuary or an approved loss reserve specialist that our loss and loss adjustment expenses reserves are reasonable.

When a claim is reported, claims personnel establish a “case reserve” for the estimated amount of the ultimate payment. The amount of the reserve is primarily based upon an evaluation of the type of claim involved, the circumstances surrounding each claim and the policy provisions relating to the loss. The estimate reflects informed judgment of such personnel based on general insurance reserving practices and on the experience and knowledge of the claims person. During the loss adjustment period, these estimates are revised as deemed necessary by our claims department based on subsequent developments and periodic reviews of the cases.

In accordance with industry practice, we also maintain reserves for estimated losses incurred but not yet reported. Incurred but not yet reported reserves are determined in accordance with commonly accepted actuarial reserving techniques on the basis of our historical information and experience. We make adjustments to incurred but not yet reported reserves quarterly to take into account changes in the volume of business written, claims frequency and severity, our mix of business, claims processing and other items that can be expected to affect our liability for losses and loss adjustment expenses over time.

When reviewing reserves, we analyze historical data and estimate the impact of various loss development factors, such as our historical loss experience and that of the industry, legislative enactments, judicial decisions, legal developments in imposition of damages, and changes and trends in general economic conditions, including the effects of inflation. There is no precise method, however, for evaluating the impact of any specific factor on the adequacy of reserves, because the eventual development of reserves is affected by many factors. After taking into account all relevant factors, management believes that our provision for net unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses at December 31, 2005 is adequate to cover the ultimate net cost of losses and claims incurred as of that date.

Management calculates its loss and LAE reserves estimates, independently from the Company’s actuaries. The Company’s actuarial estimate for loss and LAE reserves, net of the effect of ceded reinsurance, ranges from a low of $332,266 to a high of $382,506 as of December 31, 2005. The Company’s loss and LAE reserves, based on management’s best estimate, were set at $370,166 as of December 31, 2005. The ultimate liability may be greater or less than reserves carried at the balance sheet date. Establishment of appropriate reserves is an inherently uncertain process, and there can be no certainty that currently established reserves will prove adequate in light of subsequent actual experience. To the extent that reserves are inadequate and are strengthened, the amount of such increase is treated as a charge to earnings in the period that the deficiency is recognized. To the extent that reserves are redundant and are released, the amount of the release is a credit to earnings in the period the redundancy is recognized. We do not discount any of our reserves.

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The following table presents development information on changes in the reserves for losses and loss adjustment expenses (“LAE”) of our Insurance Subsidiaries for the three years ended December 31, 2005.

 

At the end of each period, the reserves were re-estimated for all prior accident years. The Company’s prior year reserves decreased by $39,620 and $6,778 for the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The Company’s prior year reserves increased by $181 for the year ended December 31, 2003. The decrease in prior year reserves during 2005 resulted from re-estimations of prior year ultimate loss and LAE liabilities and is primarily composed of reductions of $22,162 in Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers (“CAR”) assumed reserves and $14,600 in the Company’s automobile reserves.  It is not appropriate to extrapolate future favorable or unfavorable development of reserves from this past experience.

The following table represents the development of reserves, net of reinsurance, for calendar years 1995 through 2005. The top line of the table shows the reserves at the balance sheet date for each of the indicated years. This represents the estimated amounts of losses and loss adjustment expenses for claims arising in all years that were unpaid at the balance sheet date, including losses that had been incurred but not yet reported to us. The upper portion of the table shows the cumulative amounts paid as of the end of each successive year with respect to those claims. The lower portion of the table shows the re-estimated amount of the previously recorded reserves based on experience as of the end of each succeeding year, including cumulative payments made since the end of the respective year. The estimate changes as more information becomes known about the payments, frequency and severity of claims for individual years. Favorable loss development, shown as a cumulative redundancy in the table, exists when the original reserve estimate is greater than the re-estimated reserves at December 31, 2005.

Information with respect to the cumulative development of gross reserves (that is, without deduction for reinsurance ceded) also appears at the bottom portion of the table.

In evaluating the information in the table, it should be noted that each amount entered incorporates the effects of all changes in amounts entered for prior periods. Thus, if the 1998 estimate for a previously incurred loss was $150,000 and the loss was reserved at $100,000 in 1994, the $50,000 deficiency (later estimate minus original estimate) would be included in the cumulative redundancy (deficiency) in each of the years 1995-1998 shown in the table. It should further be noted that the table does not present accident

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or policy year development data. In addition, conditions and trends that have affected the development of liability in the past may not necessarily recur in the future. Accordingly, it is not appropriate to extrapolate future redundancies or deficiencies from the table.

 

 

 

As the table shows, our net reserves grew at a faster rate than our gross reserves over the ten-year period. As we have grown, we have been able to retain a greater percentage of our direct business. Additionally, we used to conduct substantial business as a servicing carrier for other insurers, in which we would service the residual market automobile insurance business assigned to other carriers for a fee. All business generated through this program was ceded to the other carriers. As we reduced the amount of our servicing carrier business, our proportion of reinsurance ceded diminished.

The table also shows that we have substantially benefited in the current and prior years from releasing redundant reserves. Massachusetts private passenger automobile insurance pricing was very favorable in

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the early to mid-1990s and the reserves we established for business written during that period developed favorably, allowing us to release substantial reserves in following years. As maximum permitted rates declined in the latter part of the 1990s through 2001, and the redundancies resulting from favorable development of earlier years were released, our redundancies in subsequent years began to diminish. In the year ended December 31, 2003 we increased loss reserves by $181. In the year ended December 31, 2004 we released $6,778 in reserves related to prior years. In the year ended December 31, 2005 we released $39,620 in reserves related to prior years

As a result of our focus on core business lines since our founding in 1979, we believe we have no exposure to asbestos or environmental pollution liabilities.

J.                  Reinsurance

We reinsure with other insurance companies a portion of our potential liability under the policies we have underwritten, thereby protecting us against an unexpectedly large loss or a catastrophic occurrence that could produce large losses. Reinsurance involves an insurance company transferring (ceding) a portion of its exposure on insurance underwritten by it to another insurer (reinsurer). The reinsurer assumes a portion of the exposure in return for a share of the premium. Reinsurance does not legally discharge an insurance company from its primary liability for the full amount of the policies, but it does make the reinsurer liable to the company for the reinsured portion of any loss realized.

We are selective in choosing our reinsurers, seeking only those companies that we consider to be financially stable and adequately capitalized. In an effort to minimize exposure to the insolvency of a reinsurer, we continuously evaluate and review the financial condition of our reinsurers. Swiss Re, our primary reinsurer, maintains an A.M. Best rating of “A+” (Superior). All of our other reinsures have an A.M. Best rating of “A” (excellent) or better except for Endurance Re, Montpelier Re and Amlin Bermuda which are rated “A-” (excellent).

We maintain reinsurance coverage to help lessen the effect of losses from catastrophic events, maintaining coverage that currently protects us in the event of a “415-year storm” (that is, a storm of a severity expected to occur once in a 415 year period). We use various software products to measure our exposure to catastrophe losses to model the probable maximum loss to us for catastrophe losses such as hurricanes. In 2005, we purchased four layers of excess catastrophe reinsurance contracts providing coverage for property losses in excess of $10,000 up to a maximum of $250,000. Our reinsurers co-participation is 25.0% of $5,000 for the 1st layer, 90.0% of $15,000 for the 2nd layer, 90.0% of $30,000 for the 3rd layer, and 90.0% of $190,000 for the 4th layer.

In 2006, we have purchased three layers of excess catastrophe reinsurance contracts providing coverage for property losses in excess of $15,000 up to a maximum of $250,000. Our reinsurers co-participation is 90.0% of $15,000 for the 1st layer, 90.0% of $30,000 for the  2nd layer, and 90.0% of $190,000 for the 3rd layer.

We also have a casualty excess of loss reinsurance contract for large casualty losses occurring in our automobile, homeowners, dwelling fire, business owners policies, commercial package policies, personal umbrella and commercial umbrella lines of business in excess of $1,000 up to a maximum of $5,000, with an annual aggregate deductible of $500. We have property excess of loss reinsurance coverage for large property losses, with coverage in excess of $1,500 up to a maximum of $15,000, for our homeowners, business owner, and commercial package policies. In addition, we have a quota share reinsurance agreement under which we cede 90.0% of the premiums and losses under our personal and commercial umbrella policies. We also have a reinsurance agreement with Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company, which is a quota share agreement under which we cede 100% of the premiums and losses for the equipment breakdown coverage under our business owner policies and commercial package policies.

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In the wake of the September 11, 2001 tragedies, reinsurers have begun to exclude coverage for claims in connection with any act of terrorism. Our reinsurance programs for 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 excludes coverage for acts of terrorism, except for fire or collapse losses as a result of terrorism, under homeowners, dwelling fire, private passenger automobile and commercial automobile policies. For business owner policies and commercial package policies, terrorism is excluded if the total insured value is greater than $20,000.

The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (“TRIA”) was signed into law on November 26, 2002 and expired December 31, 2005. The Terrorism Risk Insurance Extension Act of 2005 (“TRIEA”) was signed into law on December 22, 2005, which reauthorizes TRIA for two years, while expanding the private sector role and reducing the federal share of compensation for insured losses under the program. The intent of this legislation is to provide federal assistance to the insurance industry for the needs of commercial insurance policyholders with the potential exposure for losses due to acts of terrorism. The TRIEA provides reinsurance for certified acts of terrorism. Effective January 1, 2006 we issued policy endorsements for all commercial policyholders to comply with TRIEA after obtaining Commissioner approval.

As of December 31, 2005, we had no material amounts recoverable from any reinsurer, excluding the residual markets described below. On March 10, 2005, our Board of Directors adopted a resolution that prohibits Safety from purchasing finite reinsurance without approval by the Board. To date, the Company has never purchased a finite reinsurance contract.

In addition to the above mentioned reinsurance programs, we are a participant in CAR, the Massachusetts mandated residual market under which premiums, expenses, losses and loss adjustment expenses on ceded business are shared by all insurers writing automobile insurance in Massachusetts. We also participate in the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association in which premiums, expenses, losses and loss adjustment expenses on homeowners business that cannot be placed in the voluntary market are shared by insurers writing homeowners insurance in Massachusetts.

K.              Competition

The property and casualty insurance business is highly competitive and many of our competitors have substantially greater financial and other resources than we. We compete with both large national writers and smaller regional companies. Our competitors include companies, which, like us, serve the independent agency market, as well as companies which sell insurance directly to customers. Direct writers may have certain competitive advantages over agency writers, including increased name recognition, loyalty of the customer base to the insurer rather than to an independent agency and, potentially, lower cost structures. A material reduction in the amount of business independent agents sell would adversely affect us. In the past, competition in the Massachusetts private passenger automobile market has included offering significant discounts from the maximum permitted rates, and there can be no assurance that these conditions will not recur. Further, we and others compete on the basis of the commissions and other cash and non-cash incentives provided to agents. Although a number of national insurers that are much larger than we are do not currently compete in a material way in the Massachusetts private passenger automobile market, if one or more of these companies decided to aggressively enter the market it could have a material adverse effect on us. These companies include some that would be able to sustain significant losses in order to acquire market share, as well as others which use distribution methods that compete with the independent agent channel. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete effectively against these companies in the future.

In Massachusetts, as of December 31, 2005, 19 insurers actively wrote private passenger automobile insurance, according to CAR. Of these 19 insurers, 4 are national companies which use independent agents to sell their products, 8 are regional or Massachusetts-only companies which use independent agents to sell

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their products (including us) and 7 are national, regional or Massachusetts-only companies which sell their products directly to policyholders. Our principal competitors within the Massachusetts private passenger automobile insurance industry are both regional companies, Commerce Group, Inc. and Arbella Insurance Group, which held 29.9% and 9.1% market shares based on automobile exposures, respectively, in 2005 according to CAR.

L.                Employees

At December 31, 2005, we employed 563 employees. Our employees are not covered by any collective bargaining agreement. Management considers our relationship with our employees to be good.

M.            Investments

Investment income is an important source of revenue for us and the return on our investment portfolio has a material effect on our net earnings. Our investment objective is to focus on maximizing total returns while investing conservatively. We maintain a high quality investment portfolio consistent with our established investment policy. As of December 31, 2005, there were no securities below investment grade (as defined by Moody’s, S&P, and the Securities Valuation Office of the NAIC (see further details below)) in our fixed income securities portfolio. According to our investment guidelines, no more than 1% of our portfolio may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (excluding U.S. government-backed securities), and no more than 0.5% of our portfolio may be invested in securities rated “BBB,” or the lowest investment grade assigned by Moody’s. We continually monitor the mix of taxable and tax-exempt securities, in an attempt to maximize our total after-tax return. Since 1986, our investment manager has been Deutsche Asset Management, formerly known as Scudder Investments.

The following table reflects the composition of our investment portfolio at December 31, 2005 and 2004: